Mexico's southern border

Richard Fausset / Los Angeles Times

A porter hauls a bag of goods up the bank of the Suchiate River in Talisman, Mexico, after wading across the river, which separates western Guatemala from the Mexican state of Chiapas. The porters at Talisman ford the fast-moving river, keeping a near-constant flow of goods from one country to another while avoiding the official border crossing just a few yards away.

A porter hauls a bag of goods up the bank of the Suchiate River in Talisman, Mexico, after wading across the river, which separates western Guatemala from the Mexican state of Chiapas. The porters at Talisman ford the fast-moving river, keeping a near-constant flow of goods from one country to another while avoiding the official border crossing just a few yards away. (Richard Fausset / Los Angeles Times)

A porter hauls a bag of goods up the bank of the Suchiate River in Talisman, Mexico, after wading across the river, which separates western Guatemala from the Mexican state of Chiapas. The porters at Talisman ford the fast-moving river, keeping a near-constant flow of goods from one country to another while avoiding the official border crossing just a few yards away.